There are many lessons in life that I think we all need to learn. Some of these are happy and joyful lessons, while others are less so. Today, I’m talking about a life lesson that everyone dreads to think about. What if the unthinkable happens and someone you care about passes away? It’s a bone-chilling thought that shocks you to your core. If this has happened to you, then you’ll know the sheer feelings of grief that flood your body for weeks and months afterward. It’s impossible to explain what it’s like to lose someone you love to someone who has never experienced it.
Unfortunately, and I know you hate to realize this, but we will all go through this process at one point in our lives. As such, you need to know how to deal with things when they happen. If, sadly, this is something you’re going through right now, then I hope you find comfort in what I’m about to say.
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Surround yourself with people who care about you
The worst thing you can do is shut yourself off from the world. Sadly, this is what a lot of people do when they’re suffering from grief. You don’t want to see anyone, you just want to be alone. It’s okay to be alone or a bit, but you need to introduce more people back into your life. Surround yourself with other family members and friends that care about you. Talk to them about your feelings, share lovely stories about the person you lost. Being open about the situation and letting other people in will go a long way to helping you through this difficult time.
As someone who has been in this situation, I can say that I 100% felt so much better whenever I spent time with family and friends. It makes you feel happy again, and it puts you on the road to recover.
Acknowledge that it’s okay to feel happy again
I just spoke about feeling happy, and I think it’s important to bring this point up. Many people will grieve for someone they’ve lost, then speak to friends and go out and enjoy themselves. As a result, they feel guilty for being happy. It’s easy to feel like you need to be sad all the time or else it’s an insult to the deceased. In reality, you have nothing to feel guilty about. Happiness is a natural emotion, and you need to welcome it back into your life. If you don’t, then you’ll find it so hard to get over this tragic situation.
It might take time, but don’t feel bad whenever you’re not sad or crying. Think about what your loved one would want. Would they want you to sit and cry all day? Or would they want you to go out, enjoy life, and be happy? It’s the latter, it’s always the latter. This kind of relates back to something I mentioned in my word for 2020 article. I spoke about how people need to be kinder to themselves, and this couldn’t be a more relevant situation. Don’t beat yourself up for not grieving 24/7, allow yourself to be happy!
Surround yourself with memories
I would say one of the worst things about losing someone is that you worry about forgetting them. That sounds crazy, but it’s mad how quickly your life can change, and how soon you adapt to new situations. You worry that this important person won’t be as big a part of your life as they used to be. So, make sure they are!
To do this, you need to surround yourself with things that make you think of them. This includes photographs, old clothes they used to wear, old ornaments that remind them of you, and so on. If your loved one was cremated, then you can actually get cremation jewelry that lets you keep some of the ash inside it. This way, you’re literally carrying around a piece of that person wherever you go. So, you’ll never worry about forgetting them.
Learn to reach acceptance
You’re all probably aware of the different stages of grief. The one right at the end is acceptance. For me, the sooner you reach this stage, the better. If you can learn to accept what’s happened, then it’s so much easier to move on and get passed it. You reach a peaceful state of mind where you’ve come to terms with your loss, and you’re ready to carry on with your life. The problem for many people is that they just can’t accept the situation. This causes so many mental issues that are hard for you to break down.
Like I said earlier, I hope this helps any of you who are going through this tough period. For those of you that are lucky enough to not experience this, then I hope it sheds a light on how to deal with this massive life event.